A Memoir of Nana

Tiny ... in stature only.

A group of us were talking about our families and longevity —-you know, the usual questions about relatives who lived into their 90s:  “What did they eat?  What did they do, or not do, that allowed them to live so long?  Did they stay active?” 

I didn’t have anyone in my family that made it to their 90s, but my mother-in-law, in Somerville, Massachusetts, lived to be 99. Her last five years were spent in a nursing home because she had become very frail. Although she wasn’t a blood relative, she was related to me for twenty years through marriage. All of us lovingly called her “Nana”.

Nana was very tiny. In 2” heels, she might have stood 5′ tall, but I doubt whether she ever weighed much over 100 pounds, even soaking wet.  She had a tiny high voice and sounded just like Auntie Bea on Mayberry R.F.D. with Andy Griffith and Opie.

Nana was always active at St. Catherine’s church. She helped with White Elephant sales, served refreshments on Bingo nights in the church basement, did bookkeeping for the silent auctions, plus a lot of other church-related activities.

A little story Nana used to tell: She was on her way up to the church, about two blocks away, walking in the rain with her umbrella. The wind picked up and as it did, Nana did a Mary Poppins!

The wind came up under her umbrella, flew her several feet in the air, then dropped her on her fanny in the middle of the street in front of a truck. The driver saw her, got out, and helped her up onto the sidewalk again. After thanking him, she went on her way.

Every day, rain or shine, she walked three blocks each way down to Davis Square where she bought her groceries at the Star Market.  Before her walk home, she met three of her friends, “The Girls”, at Friendly’s Restaurant, also in Davis Square, for ice cream and a coffee.

As to food, she mostly ate seafood, chicken and turkey. Then every once in a while, a hamburger fried in her black iron skillet —and hers were the best tasting burgers in the world!

Nana never smoked a cigarette in her life, but I know for a fact, she had one small glass of port wine every night just before bedtime.

My daughters used to ask what she used to do when she was a little girl.  Did she ride her bike?  Roller skate?  Play in a treehouse?  Ice skate?  Nana always said no, she didn’t.  Her parents had a little candy store and that’s where she spent her childhood, helping out in the store. 

My girls felt bad for Nana sometimes, but I pointed out that Nana wouldn’t be Nana if she had lived any other way.  She was perfect just the way she was.  And she was.

When it came to her longevity, in Nana’s case, I think genes played a greater role than anything else. 

I miss you, Nana …

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